26.04.2026 09:43
It has been reported that hospitals in the UK are using nurses to replace doctors due to a shortage of physicians, raising concerns that these 'substitute doctors' may provide lower quality care.
It has been reported that hospitals in the UK are using nurses in place of doctors due to a shortage of doctors, raising concerns that 'substitute doctors' may provide lower quality care.
According to a report by The Guardian based on data obtained by the British Medical Association (BMA), healthcare workers, mostly senior nurses known as 'advanced practitioners', are taking on tasks normally performed by doctors in emergency departments, neonatal units, intensive care, and other departments.
Nearly half of hospitals in the UK are deploying advanced practitioners to fill gaps in doctor rotas.
The BMA stated that the widespread use of 'non-doctors' in medical roles is 'definitely not safe' and warned that hospitals might use lower-paid staff instead of doctors to reduce costs.
Dr. Mel Ryan, quoted in the report, said: 'The scale of doctor substitution revealed by these figures is extremely concerning. There is a huge difference in the level of training between doctors and advanced practitioners. Yet many employers are doing exactly that.'
MANY INSTITUTIONS UNDER THE UK NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ALLOW ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS TO CARRY EMERGENCY PAGERS
Many institutions under the UK National Health Service (NHS) have confirmed that they allow advanced practitioners to carry emergency pagers and refer patients for tests or treatment.
The BMA's findings came after cases where some misdiagnoses and treatments resulted in patient deaths. An inquiry in Manchester in 2024 concluded that a patient died because an advanced practitioner failed to recognize the risk of a clot.
The Royal College of Nursing in the UK argued that advanced practitioners are 'highly skilled, autonomous professionals' and asserted that they are not replacements for other professions but are part of multidisciplinary teams.